PrepNow Tutor - Augustus S.
Augustus is a technically creative person. He has channeled much of that creativity into his chosen field. He holds a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and he holds an MS in electrical engineering from the University of Rochester. While he was a graduate student in Rochester, Augustus found another way to channel his ingenuity: as an instructor. As a teaching assistant, he worked closely with students in the areas of signal processing, circuit theory, lab etiquette, and MATLAB coding. Now, he is energized to find ever-more-creative ways to help StudyPoint students excel at test preparation.
Augustus’s tutoring approach is to be flexible and open. He is more likely to take a Socratic, questioning approach in response to student inquiries than to try to preemptively engineer an exact plan for the students. He says, “By asking leading questions and thoroughly going through the logic of students’ individual responses, I find that students are able not only to find the right answer, but also to obtain a better understanding of the material and why the answers they arrived at are apt.”
The student-centered approach to his teaching came naturally to Augustus: he began his instructional career when he was himself a student. Thus, he was not far removed from the situations and predicaments of many of those he was helping. In fact, he notes, “Often, students told me that my lectures or office hours were as helpful as the professors’ lectures because I was able to closely remember what it is like to be a new student, introduced to the material for the first time.” Because he saw this reaction so often, Augustus now knows that he can be most effective when he seeks to empathize with students and adapt to their needs.
Likely behind all of Augustus’s career interests is his dedication to the combination of technicality and creativity he has fostered in pursuing his musical craft. When he was eight years old, he began experimenting with a variety of instruments, teaching himself how to play drums, guitar, and trumpet. He ended up playing in his marching band, and he still plays in many bands and teaches music lessons.
Augustus also works as an audio producer. While part of a team, they participated in and won an international challenge from the Acoustical Society of America for interpreting the location of an underwater diver from audio files alone.
Finally, just to show that Augustus is not always at work on his art, he loves dogs and is completely at ease petting his three pooches as he is at the sound board or in the classroom.
